Last night when I check the total stood at 149, when it went to 150 it became visible on the White House web site, an hour later when I checked it was past 250, over a hundred people signed this in the first hour it was visible, now it's past 400 in less than 12 hours. I think there are a lot of people out there who support metric! It will be interesting to see where it goes compared to other petitions.
http://wh.gov/gw1 Mike On 27/09/2011, at 21:00 , Kilopascal wrote: > Mike, > > What we need is a national spokesman for the metric system. Someone with > charisma, intelligence and who is able to articulate well. Someone who can > get the point across that without the metric system, America has no future. > > The problem with the media is they think it doesn't matter if we go metric or > not. Metric doesn't really directly affect them. Whether they say yards or > metres makes no difference to them. Not only won't they get enthused about > metric, they will fight it. > > What the media can't comprehend is that the survival of their industry > depends on the rest of us. If we don't have good paying metric industrial > jobs because they all fled to metric countries, then things like newspapers > and magazines become luxuries. They are the first to be cut out when money > gets tight. Even in these bad economic times, the newspaper and magazine > industries are suffering from reduced readership. If only they could connect > the dots, we might not have worry about the media being an enemy of > metrication. > > I don't watch 60 min so I don't know much about them. But discussing the > pros and cons sounds like a debate. In my view there is no need for a > debate. The time for debating was 40 years ago. A debate will only create > more delays and is nothing more than an excuse to waste time. > > I personally think it is too late. The damage is done and can't be repaired. > It is nice to hope that things can be better in the US, but maybe in the > long term it is better this way. Now others have the opportunities Americans > have lost and gave away. It is the curse of democracy that is preventing us > from moving forward. > > > I do not say that democracy has been more pernicious on the whole, and in the > long run, than monarchy or aristocracy. Democracy has never been and never > can be so durable as aristocracy or monarchy; but while it lasts, it is more > bloody than either. … Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, > exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not > commit suicide. It is in vain to say that democracy is less vain, less proud, > less selfish, less ambitious, or less avaricious than aristocracy or > monarchy. It is not true, in fact, and nowhere appears in history. Those > passions are the same in all men, under all forms of simple government, and > when unchecked, produce the same effects of fraud, violence, and cruelty. > When clear prospects are opened before vanity, pride, avarice, or ambition, > for their easy gratification, it is hard for the most considerate > philosophers and the most conscientious moralists to resist the temptation. > Individuals have conquered themselves. Nations and large bodies of men, never. > John Adams, letter to John Taylor (15 April 1814) > > [USMA:51170] Re: White House Petition > > Michael Payne > Tue, 27 Sep 2011 09:34:07 -0700 > > We need to get the fact out in the news media that the US loses business > because it's not metric. A program like 60 minutes would be great if they > could > look at some of the pros and cons of being metric as a country. > > Mike > On 26/09/2011, at 21:07 , Kilopascal wrote: > > > Mike, > > > > I'm afraid that if the news media gets a hold of it they will tear it to > > shreds like they did in the past. In general the news media does > > everything > > it can to mock the metric system and dissuade people from using it. Their > > own style book opposes it and even deliberately messes up the proper > > spellings and symbol format. The media is not a friend of SI. > > > > A national discussion can also back fire as the forces of ignorance and > > fear > > come out from hiding and do everything in their power to oppose any new > > effort to metricate. I'm convinced and I'm sure many movers and shakers in > > industry are too, that the American people would rather be destitute and > > poor > > than have to speak metric words. > > > > The media has lead Americans to believe that the "Arab Spring" was a call > > to > > American democracy in the region, but in reality it was meant to remove any > > and all "pro-western" and pro-Israeli" leaders from power and instill > > sharia > > law. The media gets it wrong every time. > > > > I'm just happy that the metric system is the standard in all progressive > > and > > growing countries. If the American people haven't figured out by now the > > importance of the metric system in the commerce of the modern world, I > > doubt > > they ever will. > > > > We can hope for the best, but we also have to be realistic. There are > > reasons countries like China, Germany, south-east Asia, etc are booming and > > the US isn't. > > > > [USMA:51155] Re: White House Petition > > Michael Payne > > Mon, 26 Sep 2011 07:45:03 -0700 > > > > My main aim with this petition is to get it out in front of the public, if > > the > > news media get hold of it things will really take off, if it generates a > > national discussion on the value of exports we lose it will help. But we > > need > > to get the facts out to the general public and hope the news media picks up > > on > > it. > > > > I agree the Obama administration will have their hands tied even trying to > > enforce present law, I can hear the comments "this is a job killer law", > > when > > I > > and probably many of you think the opposite. > > > > For this alone, I hope all of you who think it might not work, sign it > > anyway. > > One person can make a difference as we saw in Tunisia last year, one person > > immolating themselves ignited the "Arab Spring", we just need the Spark. > > > > Mike Payne >
